Tapped into Craft Libations and Victuals: Arabicadabra Coffee Stout from Bell’s Brewery By Timothy G. Beeman II We usually highlight NC-based beers in this column but this is one that I can’t pass on talking about. The weather is getting cooler and it’s time for a coffee stout to warm the cockles of your heart as well as give you that tingly feeling all over. Bell’s Arabicadabra Coffee Stout is your key to dark beer pleasure. Of course, I have talked about Bell’s Beer in this column and on The Less Desirables and The Beer Dads podcasts before. I’m not theContinue Reading

Tapped into Craft Libations and Victuals: Bell Tower Honey Brown from New Sarum By Timothy G. Beeman II I tried the new Bell Tower Honey Brown from New Sarum at Dogwood Hops & Crops and thought it was darn good. New Sarum is no stranger to my podcasts, either. I’ve had the guys on The Less Desirables as well as Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking. The brewery gets its name from the English town of New Sarum, which you may know today as Salisbury. And, since New Sarum Brewing is in Salisbury, NC. The name fits. New Sarum breweryContinue Reading

Dogwood Oktoberfest/Marzen Beer By Austin Ridge, co–owner of Dogwood Hops & Crops (Downtown Winston-Salem) My favorite season for beer is fall and my favorite beer is Oktoberfest/Märzen. What is Oktoberfest/Märzen? Way before refrigeration, it was hard to brew beer in the summer due to hot weather and bacterial infections. Brewing typically ended in the beginning of spring and began again in the fall. Most beers were brewed in March (Märzen). These brews were kept in cold storage through the warmer months, to be ready to drink for fall. Oktoberfest/Märzen is a full-bodied, toasty, rich beer with mild hops and aContinue Reading

Tapped into Craft Libations and Victuals: Mystic Dragon Cider by Appalachian Mountain Brewery & Cidery By Timothy G. Beeman II Appalachian Mountain Brewing Company make some good brews. They also are in the class of “giving back.” AMB distribute their beers in cans and kegs. With every can (and select pints) sold, you are giving back to a non-profit or charity through AMB’s “Pints for Non-Profits” program. A portion of your pint purchase goes toward select non-profit organizations. AMB also maintains sustainability standards at its brewery. Solar panels, a rain garden, grain exchange in which spent grains are donated toContinue Reading